Energy

Iraq terminates Akkas contract, drawing legal threats

Cabinet taps state-run Midland Oil Company as operator for fast-track gas field development with help from SLB, but contentious ouster of Ukrzemresurs could spark litigation.

Personnel from the Ukrainian company Ukrzemresurs pose in front of the Akk-1 well at the Akkas gas field after completing emergency maintenance work in the first quarter of 2025. (Photo credit: Ukrzemresurs)

Apr 17, 2025

Strategic water project makes progress, helped by Chinese financing

A China-Iraq finance program is set to provide billions of dollars for a seawater supply project that promises to enable a transformational increase in Iraq's oil production.

Apr 15, 2025

Q&A: Adnan al-Jaberi, deputy chairman of the Parliament Oil and Gas Committee

The Basra MP talks about the prospects for and obstacles to energy sector development in southern Iraq, Kirkuk, and Kurdistan.

Apr 7, 2025

Iraqi crude exports fall in March

Export volumes declined in March, but Iraq also revised its official February figure sharply upward as OPEC-plus shifts is quota strategy.

Apr 3, 2025

Kurdistan crude export deadlock persists

Hard-liners in Baghdad appear to be rejecting compromise with oil companies in negotiations to reopen the northern pipeline to Turkey.

Mar 29, 2025

Iraqi production declines in February on Rumaila accident

Nationwide output fell by about 60,000 bpd, but appears set to rebound as Iraq's most prolific field recovers from a damaging fire.

Mar 27, 2025

Q&A: Ahmad Salman, deputy president of Syria’s Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party

A veteran of Syria's oil sector — and a political leader in the oil-rich northeast — discusses negotiations with Damascus over the future of the country.

Mar 24, 2025

Q&A: Montaser Kadhim Haloub, director of SCOP’s Southern Projects Authority

The State Company for Oil Projects is racing to build a pipeline to transport regassified LNG that will be imported via the Khor al-Zubair port.

Mar 23, 2025

Iraq grapples with power shortages and Iran sanctions as summer looms

The expiration of a U.S. sanctions waiver on Iranian electricity imports is complicating Baghdad's balancing act between Tehran and Washington, while the government scrambles for power supply ahead of peak demand season.

Mar 20, 2025

Q&A: Ali Shaddad al-Faris, MP and spokesperson for the Parliament Oil and Gas Committee

An inside view on multiple laws governing oil sector management and new refineries, and political dynamics related to Baghdad-KRG oil and budget issues.

Mar 7, 2025

New SOMO director named as Iraq reshuffles oil sector leadership

Ali Nazar al-Shatari will be Iraq's new head of oil marketing as the Sudani government makes changes across several top oil posts.

Mar 6, 2025

Disputes between Baghdad and IOCs keep northern oil exports offline

One month after Parliament passed legislation designed to help restart the pipeline to Turkey, implementation is mired in old disagreements.